Search - Pavement :: Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement

Songs Mean A Lot When Songs Are Bought

armenianthunder | los angeles | 03/21/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Things to consider:

1) "Best of" albums are--generally speaking--for housewives, tourists and homebound adolescents.

2) Most great bands are ill-served by the average greatest hits collection.

3) Pavement made three jaw-droppingly amazing albums, and two that are merely excellent.

4) This album is arbitrarily, carelessly, and haphazardly sequenced.

5) Many fantastic EP, compilation and B-side tracks--like "Texas Never Whispers," "Greenlander," and countless others--deserve to be represented here but are not; this is unfortunate but unavoidable.

6) Many great album tracks, from "Chesley's Little Wrists" and "Stop Breathin'" to "Father to a Sister of Thought" and "Carrot Rope," are not found here; see point number 5.

7) There are 23 excellent Pavement songs on this collection.

8) If you buy this album, never having heard Pavement before, there is still a 94% chance that you will go on to buy all of the Pavement albums and to form your own distinct opinions about what should--and shouldn't--be included here.

9) You will enjoy this album, as long as you keep in mind point number 7."

Pavement, A Personal History

M. Buisman | Amsterdam | 04/05/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I guess Pavement fans have always been different. Maybe not the most social and certainly not the most mainstream people. Lovers of good alternative music but not necessarily sharing a need to show this to the outside world. They were called slackers, and were not wearing the designer clothing but also not wearing the metal spikes. They could easily have worked in an office or library and were never a "threat to society".



Pavement played a big role in my teenage years. My first introduction to the band was in 1994 with the single `Cut Your Hair' and album "Crooked Rain Crooked Rain". CRCR to this day remains my favorite. It still has the lo-fi wackiness of "Slanted & Enchanted" but already showed glimpses of finely tuned songs on later albums. In my case it is the same as with many other fans, the first Pavement album you heard is your favorite and will carve out a part in your personal history.



I didn't know a lot of Pavement fans in high school, in fact I didn't really know anyone who shared my taste in music, apart from the friends who I introduced it to. But I didn't care, it was good to have something you love just for yourself sometimes.



Pavement didn't seem to care about how songs should be played or written. CRCR didn't really start like `Nevermind' or `Highway 61' did. You were lured into an album that seemed to have been there for some time already. The structure of the songs was strange, the chords were strange and the two drummers were just plain weird. And the lyrics? Well, you knew they were highly intelligent but you also had no clue what Malkmus was singing about. But it seemed to work. It was how I wanted to be. Don't do a lot of things but give the world pure brilliance when you decided it was time to give it to them. And then be laconic about it.



1994 was a special year. Jon Spencer blasted away his blues riffs on `Orange', Lou Barlow showed his genius on Sebadoh's "Bakesale" and former bandmate J Mascis sped up a chorus like I had never heard before on Dinosaur's `Feel the Pain'. Shellac's "At Action Park" let me hear how music could also be made and Weezer's first album I played endlessly walking to school. It might be because 94 was such a special year for me that all these albums still rank amongst my favorites. All are still around 16 years later as well and still making worthwhile music. All apart from Pavement. After 3 more albums the disbanded.



But yay! The slacker, early 30's generation, finally has it's equivalent of Led Zeppelin reunion. Pavement are now on a comeback tour of sorts and have released a compilation album called "Quarantine the past". It has the hits and a few not-so-hits but that very much show the band Pavement was. Of course there are songs you miss (personally I think `Give it a Day' should be on there). The tracklisting is just as irratic as the band's albums, and it should be. Every Pavement fan, from the early Slanted-fans to their last albums will be happy with the CD."

Yes, a Best Of, But it is Best of Pavement!! Reunion? Tour?

A. Boyd | Boston MA | 03/26/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Can't post my review from [...] because it refers readers to earlier reviews of Wowee Zowee, Brighten the Corners and Stephen Malkmus' Pig Lib, all GREAT albums. But this CD is noteworthy to Pavement fans because 1) the remastered tracks are well done and are yet another step to improving the sound quality of your digital library; 2) while tracks are, yes, out of order (big deal), there are some curious selections (apparantly made by Pavement themselves), which makes it more of a "Songs The Band Wants You To Remember" release; and finally, 3)I am just completely psyched that the band will tour this year. Last saw them in 19-dickety-doo (like, 1994ish in Asheville, NC) and they were a tight band.



Not much of a review, because there is nothing all that new here. Love the band, great new remastered versions of an eclectic selection of Pavement tunes. Fans should suck it up and buy it. Newcomers to the band should start from scratch in order to appreciate the band's evolution in sound and style."